WWE: Shawn Michaels and the Top 10 Superkicks of His Career

Shawn Michaels has been in and out of the headlines as of late, and since CM Punk's next big move is still days away, Michaels' headline prominence calls for a nostalgic list of what could easily be considered the greatest finisher of all time. 

Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music is the perfect finisher.  It comes out of nowhere, it can be used in a wide  variety of ways, and it makes a live crowd come alive.  In fact, the only thing greater than the superkick was Jim Ross' reaction to the high impact maneuver. 

Despite being retired, HBK continues to utilize his famous finisher during sporadic appearances, reminding legions of wrestling fans of the brilliant career he so graciously abdicated. 

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10. Shawn Michaels Gets Fired, Drills Vince

Following a painful absence from in-ring competition, after Shawn Michaels was forced to retire when he suffered a severe back injury at the 1998 Royal Rumble, Michaels went on to make occasional appearances as RAW's commissioner. 

The gig was about as regular as The Rock's live appearances on RAW these days, and Michaels would eventually be relieved of his duties. 

Staying true to form, and going out with a bang, Michaels nailed WWE chairman Vince McMahon with a picture-perfect superkick.   

9. HBK Delivers Shocking Superkick to Triple H to Open Triple Threat Match

After a horrible build to an otherwise exciting Triple Threat match between Shawn Michaels, Triple H and John Cena at Survivor Series in 2009, Shawn Michaels bucked the notion that he and fellow DX member would team up against Cena. 

In the opening seconds of the WWE Championship main event, Michaels drilled his longtime pal with a superkick, continuing a history of betraying his allies with the swing of his foot. 

8. Shawn Michaels Superkicks Hulk Hogan out of Nowhere

For several weeks on RAW, Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan were chummy tag-team partners destined to to battle against one another down the road. 

The catalyst for that day came when Michaels and Hogan had won their umpteenth tag team match, leading to a shocking superkick from Shawn Michaels out of nowhere. 

The result would be a showdown between Michaels and Hogan at SummerSlam 2005, in a "dream match" where Shawn Michaels oversold most of Hogan's maneuvers out of spite for Hogan's backstage practices. 

7. Bret Hart Eats a Superkick from Shawn Michaels in Canada

Shawn Michaels in Canada was always a hoot, and the night after Badd Blood 1997 was no exception.

Less than 24 hours after a grueling Hell in a Cell match against the Undertaker, Michaels showed up to RAW's main event between Triple H and Bret Hart in support of Triple H. 

Michaels delivered an impressive superkick to his arch-rival Bret Hart (at 2:47), forcing Hart to be counted out. 

6. HBK Pays off Weeks of Teasing with a Superkick to John Cena

As John Cena and Shawn Michaels prepared to face off at WrestleMania 23, the brilliant storyline built towards an inevitable Shawn Michaels betrayal of Cena who he shared the tag team championships with. 

Each week, Michaels would tease a super kick of Cena, as fans waited on pins and needles for the eventual shot to commence. 

This shot finally happened on the go-home RAW for WrestleMania 23, during a tag team match against fellow WrestleMania 23 opponents Batista and the Undertaker, when Michaels gave Sweet Chin Music to Cena when the WWE Champion least expected it. 

5. Shawn Michaels Ends Ric Flair's Career with Sweet Chin Music

After perhaps the most poignant superkick of Michaels' career, Michaels defeated his lifelong idol Ric Flair in what was thought to be Flair's final wrestling match. 

Flair had been riding a win streak in accordance with a Vince McMahon enforced stipulation that the next match Flair lost would be his last. 

Michaels would prove to deliver the death knell to Flair's WWE in ring career after a magnificent match with the Nature Boy at WrestleMania 24. 

4. Shawn Michaels Wins First WWE Championship

Shawn Michaels' first WWE Championship came after a memorable hour-long Iron Man match against Bret "The Hitman" Hart. 

Michaels' two superkicks in overtime cemented his legacy as a main event-caliber performer, after years of great matches. 

3. Michaels Cuts off the People's Elbow with Scintillating Kick

Shawn Michaels never had a dream feud with The Rock, however the two came close to some semblance of a feud after Michaels turned heel with some Sweet Chin Music to The People's Champion. 

As The Rock prepared to deliver The People's Elbow to Triple H on the premiere of WWE SmackDown in 1999, Rock was met with a quick kick from Michaels who had entered the camera shot to screw Rock out of the WWE Championship.  

2. Shawn Turns on Marty Janetty, Launches Legendary Singles Career

In the shot that was heard round the world, one of the greatest tag teams of all-time would soon beget arguably the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. 

After insisting that the Rockers were still on the same page after tension had previously been built up, Michaels turned on his longtime partner with a stiff superkick before throwing Marty Janetty (and his career) though a glass window. 

1. Shawn Michaels Obliterates Shelton Benjamin

Shawn Michaels' epic match with Shelton Benjamin on RAW back in 2005 finished the only way it really could have—epically.  

After a back and forth war between two of the most talented athletes in WWE history, Benjamin attempted a springboard maneuver only to be met with a mouthful of Sweet Chin Music from Michaels. 

As always, Jim Ross didn't miss a beat in putting this memorable maneuver over as he seemed just as geeked about the shot as the crowd was. 

Follow Big Nasty on Twitter @ThisIsNasty, then see how this list stacks up against George Rader's list of greatest superkicks.